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Garmin 310XT
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 2009-09-07 5:21 PM |
Expert  997    North Central WV |  Subject: Garmin 310XTApologies if this has been discussed (and please send me to the thread - I did do a search). But is the Garmin XT worth its price tag? I have some birthday money to burn  We actually have an old Garmin - it is either a Forerunner 301 or even the model before it but I am not sure. It is totally uncomfortable to wear and living in the hills, we lose the satellite signal a lot. Not sure if the newer models would help there or not. My understanding is that they are better at picking up the satellite than the older models. Anyway, does anyone have the 310XT? Is there a better option. I confess that I do like to have all the bells and whistles. It is my tradeoff for still riding a cheap bike - although my DH gave me a new saddle for my birthday (Cobb) and one of those digital finger lap counters - sweet.Edited by Malgal 2009-09-07 5:22 PM |
| 2009-09-07 6:55 PM in reply to: #2393603 |
Expert 1170 Southern Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT I have a 310XT and use it with a Quarq Cinqo power meter. Since the 305 doesn't work with power meters, it was obviously worth it for me. Otherwise, I'm not so sure. I haven't found that it picks up satellites all that much faster than the 305. The HR strap is nicer, but you can always buy an aftermarket strap. With the exception of a couple cosmetic changes, the interface is exactly the same as the 305. So I guess my thought is that if you don't plan on using a power meter, it's probably not worth it, especially with 305's selling as cheap as they are. |
| 2009-09-07 7:41 PM in reply to: #2393603 |
Member 190 Panama City Beach | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT I'm not sure about the difference between the 310xt and the 305 gps engine, but there was an upgrade in the gps engine and it picks up and keeps satellites much better. I loved my 205, I love my 305 even better, and I can't wait to get my 310xt. The big difference is you can swim with the 310xt. (the GPS will not work in water though) |
| 2009-09-07 8:59 PM in reply to: #2393603 |
Expert 1456 Central New Jersey | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT The power data only works if it's a wireless power meter, mine is wired  It doesn't track GPS in the water from what I understand, and it's too bulky to wear in the water IMO. |
| 2009-09-08 12:09 AM in reply to: #2393603 |
Champion 8766  Evergreen, Colorado | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT If you go from the 301 to the 310 you will be in heaven! That's what I did and I LOVE it! I traipsed all over a ski area in Colorado this weekend and had constant satellite reception even in the trees. My 301 would NEVER have done that. I also think the battery life is longer for the 310 than the 305. I understand what others are saying about the 305 being cheap now and all...but I tend to go for the newer technology and then use it until it DIES. I did that with my 301 and I was able to skip the 305 generation entirely. |
| 2009-09-08 8:03 AM in reply to: #2393852 |
Expert 1170 Southern Pines, NC | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT wwlani - 2009-09-07 9:59 PM The power data only works if it's a wireless power meter, mine is wired It doesn't track GPS in the water from what I understand, and it's too bulky to wear in the water IMO. I find it's very wearable in the water, especially with the quick release kit. For training swims, I've started marking waypoints on the swim so I can at least calculate my distance afterward--stop, get good reception, mark, keep swimming. The GPS data in the water is completely useless. As much as I'd love to believe I swam 3.4 miles in 49 minutes on my last OWS, I'm thinking the 1.3 miles I calculated from waypoints was a LITTLE more accurate. |
| 2009-09-08 10:56 AM in reply to: #2393603 |
Extreme Veteran 5722 | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT I was disappointed with the performance in the water. I wanted to monitor my HR at various paces. The GPS distance is way off, so of course the pace is off . The HR monitor does not get picked up in the water. Maybe this is normal. My polar HRM works fine in the water. |
| 2009-09-08 11:00 AM in reply to: #2394002 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT jldicarlo - 2009-09-08 12:09 AM If you go from the 301 to the 310 you will be in heaven! That's what I did and I LOVE it! I traipsed all over a ski area in Colorado this weekend and had constant satellite reception even in the trees. My 301 would NEVER have done that. I also think the battery life is longer for the 310 than the 305. I understand what others are saying about the 305 being cheap now and all...but I tend to go for the newer technology and then use it until it DIES. I did that with my 301 and I was able to skip the 305 generation entirely. If you wouldn't have skipped the 305 you would have spent half the money and been able to skip the 401 and the 310xt entirely. Latest technology isn't always the most functional.  |
| 2009-09-08 12:53 PM in reply to: #2394167 |
Extreme Veteran 419 San Jose, CA | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT DrPete - 2009-09-08 6:03 AM wwlani - 2009-09-07 9:59 PM The power data only works if it's a wireless power meter, mine is wired It doesn't track GPS in the water from what I understand, and it's too bulky to wear in the water IMO. I find it's very wearable in the water, especially with the quick release kit. For training swims, I've started marking waypoints on the swim so I can at least calculate my distance afterward--stop, get good reception, mark, keep swimming. The GPS data in the water is completely useless. As much as I'd love to believe I swam 3.4 miles in 49 minutes on my last OWS, I'm thinking the 1.3 miles I calculated from waypoints was a LITTLE more accurate. I swim with it in my swim cap instead of on my wrist and the distance data has been quite accurate. (If it's on your hand, it's going to track all that extra distance in your stroke) I found it tremendously helpful when doing a 2-mi OW swim this past Saturday as I was able to look at my swim route on a satellite map afterwards and get a good assessment of how my sighting had worked out. |
| 2009-09-08 1:18 PM in reply to: #2393603 |
Member 190 Panama City Beach | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT I swim with it in my swim cap instead of on my wrist and the distance data has been quite accurate. (If it's on your hand, it's going to track all that extra distance in your stroke) I found it tremendously helpful when doing a 2-mi OW swim this past Saturday as I was able to look at my swim route on a satellite map afterwards and get a good assessment of how my sighting had worked out. That's a very good idea, I going to try that. BTW, just to be fair, no GPS or HRM works underwater. It only takes a thin sheet of water to block RF signals at these frequencies. |
| 2009-09-08 1:20 PM in reply to: #2394934 |
Extreme Veteran 419 San Jose, CA | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT RichMan - 2009-09-08 11:18 AM I swim with it in my swim cap instead of on my wrist and the distance data has been quite accurate. (If it's on your hand, it's going to track all that extra distance in your stroke) I found it tremendously helpful when doing a 2-mi OW swim this past Saturday as I was able to look at my swim route on a satellite map afterwards and get a good assessment of how my sighting had worked out. That's a very good idea, I going to try that. BTW, just to be fair, no GPS or HRM works underwater. It only takes a thin sheet of water to block RF signals at these frequencies. And since the back of my swim cap is always above water when in the ocean in a wetsuit probably why it worked well! |
| 2009-09-09 12:13 AM in reply to: #2393603 |
Expert 697 Northern CA | Subject: RE: Garmin 310XT I love mine. I wanted something that would work in the water to keep time so I could keep track of my time in a race. I had heard that the GPS didn't work in the water so I was quite surprised to see that the GPS does actually track, though it tells me I've swum about 2x what I actually have and plots my swim like a ribbon crinkled on itself. But I can use that to plot out the real milage with Google Maps. I haven't had any trouble getting my wetsuit sleeve off around it either. (I did with my small HRM watch because that one would catch on the material). I like that the cadence thingie is on the back wheel instead of the front and I have the quick release kit so I can mount it on my bike when I ride. I don't actually have the HR strap as my coach wants me to use RPE instead. |
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